It's all the rage these days: Blame Amazon for the lack of retail sales.
The fact is this: Retail is simply not adapting.
These are my personal observations from Houston, TX, the third largest city in the US:
1) Target, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Fry's, Macy's, Banana Republic, Best Buy. These are most of the stores I shop at, perhaps last over the last few years. The reason I don't find myself shopping there as much (nor enjoy shopping there) is:
a) Cashiers. There only seems to be 1 cashier working at a time. I tend to have to go to these stores at peak traffic times, and yet they only have one checkout person. This obviously results in long lines. I understand the need for retail to balance their costs, but this is ridiculous. Worst of all, there are other people that work their that are standing around and have to wait for a manager to call them to man the registers. No initiative. But I guess when they are paid next to nothing, this is what happens.
b) Unfriendly and unknowledgable staff. I guess that goes with the times. The workers simply don't care about the products they are employed to sell. There seems to be no training on products or even customer service. Ask for a product, they don't even know what you're talking about, or simply point to an isle without taking you there and offering assistance. But I guess when they are paid next to nothing, this is what happens.
2) Online shopping initiatives aren't planned well. Sure, some stores let you order online and pickup in store. My experience with this is that is saves me no time over just going to the store, walking the aisles with my cart, and checking out. Often times, the order is not ready when they say it is, the wrong items, or simply waiting in line to get it picked up. Again this goes back to lack of training in the staff.
3). Selection and Price. I'm a computer and photography hobbyist. I simply can't go into a store anymore and get what I'm looking for. Walk into a Best Buy or Fry's or Micro Center to grab a 64GB Sandisk Extreme Pro SDXC memory card for my camera and guess what? It's not in stock or they don't carry it. I check Micro Center and they have it! Oh, but $80? Amazon sells it for $35. I can wait two days with Amazon Prime to avoid the 125% premium of having it today.
Forget about even looking at something like a Nikon D750. These retailers don't carry it, so guess where I got to go....Amazon.
These are just a couple of items. Don't get me started on HDMI cables, USB-C cables. Even the store brands aren't priced comparable to Amazon.
Stores need to employ algorithms to figure out what products customers and purchasing online and getting those products into stores. For example, the SD cards I mentioned above should be in stores. It's an Amazon best seller. But walk into a store and you'll find slower cards at a higher price. You're going to have to except Amazon as better pricing superiority. Perhaps charge a slight premium for the "have it today" aspect.
They need better guidance and integrating buy online pick up in store programs. Heck, why do I even have to pick it up? Hire a driver and all he does it deliver products to customers.
The bottom line is retailers don't seem to be adapting to new realities. They need to spend more investment in product selection and employee training and finding better ways to schedule during peak traffic. I find it ridiculous to walk into a store during lunch hour and find a long line due to one cashier and staff who have no idea of the product I'm talking about.
Submitted April 06, 2017 at 12:53PM by razeus http://ift.tt/2p5T0Th
